Oleksandr Zinchenko waxed lyrical about "incredible" William Saliba as Arsenal's impressive start to the season continued.
The Gunners made light work of Bournemouth as they stuck three past the Cherries and kept a clean sheet on the south coast. It was Saliba who got the team's third after Martin Odegaard notched a first-half brace at the Vitality Stadium. The Frenchman's strike was a classy effort which curled into the top corner.
Saliba has slotted in seamlessly into the Arsenal back four after several years away on loan, helping the team record two shutouts in three games, but also showed what he's capable of in the final third. Zinchenko has played in the back four alongside Saliba and has nothing put positive things to say.
The Ukrainian declared: "Oh my God, this guy [Saliba] is incredible. He’s unbelievable. I wish him to keep going like that. Honestly, I’m not the guy who is going to judge him but it looks like he’s got unbelievable experience behind him and he’s incredible."
Saliba has been partnered with Gabriel for all three of the team's games thus far despite being shunned and sent out on loan for the past two years - spending time at Nice and then Marseille. Now, Arteta looks set to make the youngster a mainstay in his backline.
The Arsenal boss was quizzed on whether he thought Saliba could produce such a strike and said: “To be fair, no. That is individual talent and a moment of quality that he showed today but I am really pleased with his performance.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Arsenal finish in the top four? Comment below.
“What he is doing at 21 years old is rare. He remains really humble. He wants to learn, he wants to train every day and he is really demanding of himself and he is giving a lot to the team. It is very important to get the clean sheet as well. Everybody is scoring goals and that's good.”
Saliba's stats continue to highlight his quality, with the 21-year-old enjoying a 100 per cent pass accuracy in the win over Bournemouth. He also made two clearances, two interceptions and won two of his duels.
Arteta also highlighted the influence of Zinchenko, who has made an instant impact since joining from Manchester City. The Spaniard said: "He gives us the flexibility to attack in different ways in relation to what the opponent wants to do, wants to prevent and makes spaces that we want to exploit. It’s something good to have in the team."
